Author: HudsonAdmin

Schedule

Wednesday, February 13: Next PAC Meeting, 6:30 in the library
Friday, February 15: Pro D Day
Monday, February 18: Family Day holiday

Advocacy for Hudson’s Seismic Upgrade

Looking for an easy way to help Hudson get the seismic upgrade it deserves? This is a simple click and fill letter you can send to your MLA to ask them to upgrade the Area Standards. It literally takes 10 seconds. We’d like everyone to do this:
http://www.panvancouver.ca/buildschoolsright.html

French Immersion Proposal

English and French parents, your letters are needed! Please send a short note to any of the officials below asking them not to move forward with moving Hudson’s French students to Lord Strathcona.

Talking Points for All Parents:

• This will disrupt our whole community. We have a strong, integrated PAC that provides activities and hot lunch for all students. If we lose our French PAC volunteers at Hudson, it will disrupt all of those contributions the PAC makes.
• Many children have friend groups that include both English and French track kids. Some of them have been close friends since they attended Hudson Preschool. Tearing those groups apart would be cruel.
• Many children have after-school care arrangements that depend on them attending Hudson, whether that is HOOSC, or a neighborhood program, or local parents that take care of the children after school.

Talking Points for students who would move under the plan:

• The transportation to Strathcona is too far for many parents, especially those without a car. Their children will have to either switch to English at Hudson and lose their French spot, or the parents will have to change their employment situation (a huge change for a family!).
• There is no after-school care available at Strathcona, so families would have to find a new childcare solution (next to impossible in Vancouver!).

The email addresses for the school trustees are:
Janet Fraser (Chair)
janet.fraser@vsb.bc.ca

Allan Wong (Vice-Chair)
allan.wong@vsb.bc.ca

Fraser Ballantyne
fraser.ballantyne@vsb.bc.ca

Lois Chan-Pedley
lois.chan-pedley@vsb.bc.ca

Carmen Cho
carmen.cho@vsb.bc.ca

Estrellita Gonzalez
estrellita.gonzalez@vsb.bc.ca

Oliver C. Hanson
oliver.hanson@vsb.bc.ca

Barb Parrott
barbara.parrott@vsb.bc.ca

Jennifer Reddy
jennifer.reddy@vsb.bc.ca

Our MLAs:
Spencer Chandra Herbert
Vancouver-West End
s.chandraherbert.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Sam Sullivan
Vancouver-False Creek
sam.sullivan.MLA@leg.bc.ca

David Eby
Vancouver-Point Grey
david.eby.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Minister of Education:
Rob Fleming
EDUC.Minister@gov.bc.caVancouver

School Board Superintendent:
Suzanne Hoffman
shoffman@vsb.bc.ca

Schedule

Thursday, January 24: Emergency PAC Meeting, 6:30 in the library
Friday, January 25: Pro D Day – NO SCHOOL!
Friday, February 1: Spirit Day – Wear your red!

PAC Meeting Tonight

There will be another emergency PAC meeting tonight in the library, from 6:30-8:30pm. Babysitting is provided.

French Immersion Proposal

The VSB meeting was held last night, and they decided to move forward to a consultation phase on this proposal. This means we will need to keep up our efforts to show that these are not good options for our Hudson kids, and help them find better options than they’ve identified.

Things to remember when you are contacting the school board and other officials:

• It is not helpful to trash Lord Strathcona or its surrounding community. The VSB has deemed the school safe for students, and so the argument that it’s not safe for our kids will fall on deaf ears. Worse, some people think it makes us sound like rich snobs, and they tune out any other argument if they hear it. That means they will ignore our very good points about the distance to the school and the disruption to our community.
• Any letters that you forward to the PAC will be kept 100% confidential.
• For any English parents who are not sure which option they prefer, it was brought up at the PAC meeting that before the French track was added, Hudson was actually in danger of being closed due to under-enrollment. It had a 2-person PAC that was struggling to provide any activities at all. In our current PAC, over half of our Executive team volunteers are French parents, including our Hot Lunch Coordinator (who brings in most of our budget ($15,000 each year) and feeds many of our kids twice a week). Due to our fundraising and active PAC volunteers, we provide extra-curricular activities (and subsidies for those who need it), technology like laptops and iPads, and extra classroom activities such as tennis & gymnastics in the gym, Project Chef, Paws of Empathy, and many more. Starting over with less than half the PAC team we currently have will probably mean at least a few years of reduced revenue and activities, as more volunteers will have be recruited and learn the ropes of organizing.
• If you know any families whose children are not yet school-age but will be affected by this proposal (i.e. they would like to do Hudson French or English), please alert them to this proposal and encourage them to write letters.

A big thank you to everyone who has jumped on this issue and advocated for Henry Hudson so far! Especially our PAC Chair Robert Ford, who must be exhausted from all the meetings and interviews he has attended this week. Two more of our Hudson parents were also interviewed on CBC French radio this week – you can listen here.

Activities

Due to unforeseen circumstances, gymnastics is cancelled.

Schedule

Friday, January 25: Pro D Day – NO SCHOOL!

Activities

Term 2 activities are beginning, and there are still some spaces available.

Ocean Explorers still has space & has lowered the price – $199 per child. Register via their website.

Mad Science has added a second class for those children on the waitlist. The additional class will run on Thursdays at lunch in the foyer. Please contact Mad Science to confirm your child’s spot!

Band and Strings Program Petition

Do you want to help advocate for the restoration of the band and strings program? Robert, our PAC Chair, will be speaking at the Student Learning and Well-Being Committee meeting on January 23. He’s been told that he’s first on the agenda.

The petition is here. Robert would love to see a couple of friendly faces to support him at the presentation! Details are here.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Student Learning and Well-Being Committee
1580 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Room 180, Vancouver School Board Education Centre
Agenda will be posted January 18, 2019.

Seismic Update

Henry Hudson’s Project Definition Report is due to be completed this month. The Seismic Committee is working hard to get access to the report so that we don’t have to wait months to find out our results.

Eric Hamber Secondary has received their report and many of their existing spaces will not be rebuilt, including some of their classroom spaces, auditorium, gymnasium and playing fields. Members of the Hamber community have started a petition to re-add these spaces to the plan. You can find it here. Supporting other schools in their fight for a fair seismic upgrade is the best way to help Hudson get a fair plan.

Dogs on the Field

There are patches of white sand all over the new field, all of them holes that have been dug by dogs. If your family brings a dog to the park, please watch them and don’t let them dig.

Flip Give Fundraiser

The Hudson PAC has signed up for an easy new fundraiser called FlipGive. The way it works is that once you sign up, online retailers (such as Amazon, Starbucks, Chapters, etc) make a small donation to our PAC every time you place an order.

Visit https://www.flipgive.com/ to sign up and join our Henry Hudson team. Our team invite code is R635VQ. From there, you can place orders through their site, or install their phone app and/or Google Chrome extension so that you can sign in to FlipGive anytime you are on a participating retailer’s site.

PAN Seismic Meeting

PAN (The Parent Advocacy Network for Public Education) is hosting an open meeting for anyone with any seismic experience on January 30th, 6:30-9:00pm at The Tipper Restaurant.

DPAC Workshop: Anxiety in Children and Youth

DPAC is hosting a VCH Child and Youth Services Workshop – “Anxiety in Children and Youth” on Thursday January 31 at 7:00 pm at the VSB Office.

The goal of this workshop is to help caregivers recognize anxiety in their child or youth, and to learn strategies to support them. The facilitator will provide information about school and community resources, and where/how to access supports and services. A portion of the workshop will be dedicated to Q + A.

Schedule

Wednesday, January 16: PAC meeting @ 6:30 in the library

PAC Meeting

On Wednesday, January 16 the January PAC meeting will be held in the library. The agenda is posted here, and the minutes from December’s meeting are here. Snacks and drinks and childminding will be available.

Activities

Term 2 activities are starting next week. Programs are filling up and some already have waitlists. Check out the activities page and sign up to avoid disappointment.

Hot Lunch

Hot Lunch has started for this term, but we are still looking for volunteers to keep it going. This is our main PAC fundraiser, so if we have to cancel it we will have to look for other ways to raise the money (about $15,000) – and we’ll all have to pack lunches every day!

Can you, or a family member or a community member you know, throw on an apron, Tuesdays 9 AM – noon or 10 – 1 PM? Or Thursdays 11 AM to 1 PM? You will be trained. It’s easy! Email Marina at musea79@hotmail.com.

Band and Strings Program Petition

On January 23, our Hudson PAC chair is presenting a petition to the VSB to restore the Band and Strings program for grades 6 and 7.

The petition is hereif you’d like to support this.

Seismic Update

Henry Hudson’s Project Definition Report is due to be completed this month. The Seismic Committee is working hard to get access to the report so that we don’t have to wait months to find out our results.

Eric Hamber Secondary has received their report and many of their existing spaces will not be rebuilt, including some of their classroom spaces, gymnasium and playing fields. Members of the Hamber community have started a petition to re-add these spaces to the plan. You can find it here.

Cannabis Legalization and Schools

As part of DPAC’s General Meeting on January 24th, there will be a presentation for VSB parents and guardians on what the legalization of cannabis means for our children and schools. Presenters include Selma Smith, VSB District Principal, Student Support: Support for Social Emotional Learning and VSB’s SACY (Supporting And Connecting Youth – Substance Use Health Promotion Initiative) staff. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm at the VSB Office (1580 West Broadway).

Canadian Parents for French

The CPF has some upcoming activities for French Immersion families, including summer camping trips. You can view their January newsletter here.

Schedule

Monday, January 7: Deadline for first hot lunch order
Thursday, January 10: First hot lunch of this session
Wednesday, January 16: PAC meeting @ 6:30

Hot Lunch

The first hot lunch of this session will be Thursday, January 10. The deadline to order for Thursday is this Monday, January 7 at midnight. You can order at https://munchalunch.com/schools/henryhudson/.

Hot Lunch still needs volunteers for Term 2! Email Marina at musea79@hotmail.com if you are available to help on any Tuesday or Thursday.

DPAC Updates

The District PAC (basically the PAC of PACs) is offering many information sessions and workshops this January. The topics range from educational issues, to parenting, to mental health issues in youth.

You can view their newsletter with the calendar and meeting updates here.

Schedule

Friday, December 14: Direct donations deadline
Friday, December 14: Winter Fair @ 3:00pm
Tuesday, December 18: Winter Junior and Senior Choir Concerts
Wednesday, December 19: Winter Concerts – food bank donations accepted
Friday, December 21: Last day of school until January 7 – Happy Holidays!

Direct Donation Fundraiser

We are up to $4145.00, but that is less than half-way to our goal! THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so far. If you haven’t, the deadline to drop off your donation is this Friday, December 14th. We can also accept e-transfers until December 16th at midnight. You can view the instructions for e-transfer or print the donation form here.

Your donations are tax receipt-eligible, and any amount helps us reach our goal. This is the only fundraiser our PAC does other than hot lunch – if we raise enough then we don’t have to sell wrapping paper or have bake sales! The money the PAC raises is used to buy items from the teachers’ wishlists, new classroom technology such as iPads, gym class activities for every student such as tennis and gymnastics, and various other expenses to enhance our children’s education.

Activities

Term 2 activities registration has opened for most activites, except for dance. Details for dance will be posted on the website in 1-2 weeks, and registration will open Jan 2. The list of activities is available here.

Hot Lunch

Ordering for Term 2 will be open on Thursday at https://munchalunch.com/schools/henryhudson/.

If Hot Lunch is going to continue, we need volunteers for Term 2! Starting in January, can you, or a family member throw on an apron, Tuesdays 9 AM – noon or 10 – 1 PM? Or Thursdays 11 AM to 1 PM? You will be trained. It’s easy! Email Marina at musea79@hotmail.com.

Marina (the Hot Lunch Coordinator) and the PAC would like to thank all of the volunteers who contributed their time at the Hot Lunch. We wish you all Happy Holidays and the best year ahead. Sending you all warmest wishes. Thanks for your support!

Winter Fair

It’s finally here! The Winter Fair will be this Friday December 14th from 3.00pm to 5.00pm in the gym.
Come to enjoy the raffle, cake-walk, kids-only market, food, games, crafts, the Storybooth photo booth and award winning strolling magician Kelvin Ng.

TICKETS
If you ordered tickets in advance, please remember to bring them to the Fair. Tickets will also be available for sale at the Fair.

DONATIONS

Kids-only market: WE STILL URGENTLY NEED YOUR DONATIONS TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS. This is where kids can shop for the adults in their life. Please donate new or like new gift items for men and women, also wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons etc.. Some examples of gifts include costume jewellery, wallets, home decor, mugs, accessories, candles, toiletry sets, gadgets, scarves, books, CDs, DVDs, novelty items. We will also accept kid-friendly presents – new or like-new books, toys and games. Please no used stuffies or clothes.
You can drop items in the office or in the girls change room in the gym either in the morning around 9.00am or after school around 3.00pm. Thank you.

Raffle: We are seeking donated prizes for the raffle, both for kids and adults. If you or your company could donate a prize, gift certificate or experience for the raffle please drop it off in the school office with a note stating the value of the prize and your name or the name of the company. For more information contact Nina at njanepatel@gmail.com.

Cake walk: If you can donate a cake or set of cupcakes or cookies (home made or store bought) for the fabulous cake-walk please contact Stella at hudsonclassrep@outlook.com for more information.

VOLUNTEER
A big thank you to all those who have signed up to help organize and run the Fair. If there is anyone who would still like to be involved please contact Carly at carlykrug24@gmail.com. The more the merrier!

50 / 50
There will also be a 50 / 50 draw specifically to raise money for the grade 6 and 7 trip to Camp Artaban in the Spring. Tickets (costing $1.00 cash each) can only be bought by adults. The draw will be called at 4.30pm.

Please note, the Winter Fair is an after school event with no supervision. Children should be accompanied by an adult.

Winter Choir Concerts

Winter Concerts

The annual Winter Concerts will be held on December 19th at 9:30am and 1:00pm. We hope you all have gotten tickets for one of the performances from Hannah. The students would like to do a food bank drive at the concerts, so please bring a non-perishable food item to donate if possible.

Paws of Empathy

On October 21, 2018 Victoria Shroff, Animal Law Lawyer and Adjunct Professor of animal law at UBC Law School, Allard Hall (and an active Hudson parent volunteer!) attended the Grade 5/6 classroom of Ms.Fleming/Ms.Lorieau (Ms.Shomura’s Grade 6’s joined in too) where she was invited to teach a career class on What it is Like to Practice Animal Law. Victoria Shroff has been practicing animal law in Vancouver for over 18 years and is one of the longest serving animal law practitioners in Canada. Victoria shared her career path trajectory as well as some animal law stories about dogs, horses, parrots, exotic animals and more. She encouraged students who were considering law to to make sure that they love reading. The students were fully engaged and asked very good questions. Victoria was assisted by a very capable UBC law student, Lisa Spring.

Schedule

Wednesday, December 5: PAC meeting @ 6:30pm
Thursday, December 6: Activities Term 2 sign-ups open
Friday, December 7: Spirit Day – wear your red!
Friday, December 14: Winter Fair @ 3:00pm

PAC Meeting

The December PAC meeting will be this Wednesday, December 5 at 6:30 in the library. We will be discussing the latest news from the seismic upgrade process and our next steps. The agenda is here and the minutes from last month’s meeting are available here.

Activities

Term 2 Activities registration will go live on Thursday morning, December 6. The list of activities is available here. All Term 1 Activities conclude this week.

Direct Donation Appeal

Our Direct Donation Appeal has begun and your children should be bringing home the forms in their backpacks, or you can print the form here. Your tax receipt eligible donation to fund required technology for the classrooms is needed to make sure the kids have fair access to needed equipment.

Hot Lunch

Hot Lunch is starving for volunteers for Term 2! Starting in January, can you, or a family member throw on an apron, Tuesdays 9 AM – noon or 10 – 1 PM? Or Thursdays 11 AM to 1 PM? You will be trained. It’s easy! Email Marina at musea79@hotmail.com.

Winter Fair

The annual Winter Fair will be on Friday 14th Dec from 3.00pm to 5.00pm in the gym.
Come to enjoy the raffle, cake-walk, kids-only market, food, games, crafts, the Storybooth photo booth and award winning strolling magician Kelvin Ng.

TICKETS: Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered tickets. The completed orders went into the teacher’s mail boxes on Dec 4th, so you should be receiving them in back packs this week. Please look out for them, keep them safe and remember to bring them to the Fair. If you have any questions regarding tickets contact Stella at hudsonclassrep@outlook.com. Tickets will also be available for sale at the Fair.

DONATIONS

Kids-only market: A hugely popular part of the Winter Fair, where kids (only!) use ticket to purchase gifts for adults, urgently needs your donations.

Please donate: new or like-new adult-appropriate presents (men and women please!). Think about moms, dads, grandparents, etc. Some examples are costume jewellery, wallets, home decor, toiletry sets, scarves, novelty items. Dollar stores and discount bins are also great places to pick up inexpensive trinkets to donate. In good condition books, CDs, DVDs also accepted.

We will also accept kid-friendly presents (new or like-new books, toys, games) as some children may wish to buy for siblings etc. but the focus is on adult gifts as they’re harder for children to shop for and keep as a surprise. Please no used stuffies or clothes.

Please drop items in the girls change room in the gym either in the morning around 9.00am and after school around 3.00pm.

Raffle: We are seeking donated prizes for the raffle. If you or your company could donate a prize, gift certificate or experience for the raffle please drop it off in the school office with a note stating the value of the prize and your name or the name of the company. For more information contact Nina at njanepatel@gmail.com.

Cake walk: If you can donate a cake or set of cupcakes or cookies (home made or store bought) for the fabulous cake-walk please contact Stella at hudsonclassrep@outlook.com for more information.

VOLUNTEER: A big thank you to all those who have signed up to help organize and run the Fair. If there is anyone who would still like to be involved please contact Carly at carlykrug24@gmail.com. The more the merrier!

Winter Choir Concerts

Schedule

Friday, November 30: No after-school care for HOOSC students
Wednesday, December 5: PAC meeting
Friday, December 7: Spirit Day

PAC Meeting

The December PAC meeting will be this Wednesday, December 5 at 6:30 in the library. The minutes from last month’s meeting are available here. The agenda for Wednesday will be posted at https://hudsonpac.ca/meetings/ before the meeting.

Activities

Moresports (basketball) & Expressive Arts will be doing in-person registration on Monday, Dec 3 at 8:30 am and 3 pm outside the school office. We hope to have the Term 2 Activities schedule out in the next week or so!

Direct Donation Appeal

Our Direct Donation Appeal has begun and your children should be bringing home the forms in their backpacks, or you can print the form here. Your tax receipt eligible donation to fund required technology for the classrooms is needed to make sure the kids have fair access to needed equipment.

Hot Lunch

Hot Lunch will be starving for volunteers for Term 2. Starting in January, can you, or a family member throw on an apron, Tuesdays 9 AM – noon or 10 – 1 PM? Or Thursdays 11 AM to 1 PM? You will be trained. It’s easy!

Winter Fair

Winter Choir Concerts

December 18 – Hudson Choir Concerts with Special Guests from CTV News
The concert is scheduled to start and 6 PM, but at 5:30, the choirs will be taping three segments with CTV Morning Live to be broadcast on Dec 20. Be there to see how TV magic is made.

Clothing Fundraiser Update

We raised $103.25 from our clothing drive donation to Value Village (not including the original sale). Thank you to everyone who donated and volunteered to make the event happen.

Schedule

Friday, November 30: No after-school care for HOOSC students

Advent Calendar Fundraiser

ORDERS DUE FRIDAY (TOMORROW)!

Help us feed Vancouver’s homeless this holiday season! Your purchase will provide TWO meals to those in need. Order Advent Calendars online (http://www.giveafreelunch.com/#holiday-fundraiser) or with this form. Advent Calendars will be delivered to students in their classrooms on Friday Nov 30.

Order must be completed either online or by form by Nov 23.

Calendars are $10 each.

More details at http://www.giveafreelunch.com/#holiday-fundraiser
Or email help@giveafreelunch.com

Activities

Mad Science ends next week.

Term 2 Activities planning is underway. Moresports (basketball) & Expressive Arts will be doing in-person registration on Monday, Dec 3 at 8:30 am and 3 pm outside the school office. We hope to have the Term 2 Activities schedule out in the next 2 weeks, stay tuned!

Direct Donation Appeal

Our Direct Donation Appeal has begun. It’s later than normal this year. But your tax receipt eligible donation to fund required technology for the classrooms is needed to make sure the kids have fair access to needed equipment. Please see our Direct Donation Letter and Form here.

Winter Fair

The annual Winter Fair will be on Friday December 14th from 3.00pm to 5.00pm in the gym.

Come to enjoy the raffle, cake-walk, kids-only market, food, games, crafts, the Storybooth photo booth and award winning strolling magician Kelvin Ng.

TICKETS: Please make sure your ticket order forms, with payment, are dropped off no later than Friday 30th Nov. Forms were sent out in back packs last week but you can also pick-up one outside the office or print one here. Completed forms should be placed in the white PAC mailbox in the office. For further information contact Stella at hudsonclassrep@outlook.com.

DONATIONS

Kids-only market: Before you deck the halls, check your halls, closets, cupboards and crawl space for things you can donate to the Winter Fair!
The Kids Only Market – a very popular part of the Winter Fair – where kids (only!) use tickets to purchase gifts for adults and have them wrapped – needs donations. Please donate: new or like-new adult-appropriate presents (men and women please!). Think about moms, dads, grandparents, etc. Some examples are costume jewellery, wallets, home decor, toiletry sets, scarves, novelty items. Dollar stores and discount bins are also great places to pick up inexpensive trinkets to donate. We will also accept kid-friendly presents as some children may wish to buy for siblings etc. but the focus is on adult gifts as they’re harder for children to shop for and keep as a surprise. In good condition books, CDs, DVDs also accepted. Please drop unwrapped items to the girls change room in the gym either in the morning around 9.00am and after school around 3.00pm from Monday 3rd Dec onwards.

Raffle: We are seeking donated prizes for the raffle. If you or your company could donate a prize, gift certificate or experience for the raffle please drop it off in the school office with a note stating the value of the prize and your name or the name of the company. For more information contact Nina at njanepatel@gmail.com.

Cake walk: If you can donate a cake or set of cupcakes or cookies (home made or store bought) for the ever popular cake-walk please contact Stella at hudsonclassrep@outlook.com for more information.

VOLUNTEER: We still urgently need plenty more volunteers to make this parent-run event a success. We’ll be starting set-up at 12 noon on Dec 14th with shifts running throughout the afternoon ending around 5.45pm after the clean up. If you can spare some time to join the crew for all or part of the time that would be greatly appreciated. It’s fun and rewarding to get involved and we can’t do it without you.
Volunteer roles include: setting-up (a few folk capable of some moderately heavy lifting are especially helpful here), decorating the gym, food preparation, supervising one of the games or the craft table, selling tickets or food, wrapping gifts at the kids-only market, taking a turn directing the cake-walk and of course for the all important cleaning-up at the end. If you would like to get involved please contact Carly at carlykrug24@gmail.com. Thank you.

BCCPAC

The BC Government has just revamped its erase website.

erase = expect respect + a safe education

The website provides services and information on topics including: online safety, mental health and well being, bullying and violence, substance abuse, and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed

Hot lunch needs volunteers on Tuesdays from 9:00am – 1:00pm. Email Marina at musea79@hotmail.com if you can help!

New Curriculum Presentation from the November PAC Meeting

At the PAC meeting on November 14, teachers Victoria Lorieau and Jennifer Johnson gave a great presentation about the new BC curriculum which is being used in some Henry Hudson classrooms, and will be used by all classes next year.

Their Powerpoint presentation is available on the PAC website and below is a condensed version of their additional comments and links to the VSB and BC Ministry of Education websites that list all of the curriculum details.

Core Competencies and CSL: BC’s New (Redesigned) Curriculum Online – A Guide for Parents

Guest Presenters: Jennifer Johnson and Victoria Lorieau

Tour of the Ministry’s Curriculum website:

(https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/)

• Curriculum tab:
  • Reorganized subjects:
    • Health was tacked onto Physical Education, and now Careers are their own piece
    • Applied Design, Skills and Technologies is new
• Individual subjects (E.g. Mathematics 2: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/mathematics/2)
  • Each subject is broken into 3 ways to learn it: know, do and understand
    • Big Ideas (What the students should understand)
    • Curricular Competencies (What the students will be able to do)
      • These are the skills we expect students to develop
      • This is how teachers will present the content in class to promote understanding
    • Content (What we expect them to know)
      • This is the subject matter that will be covered in class
  • On each subject page, the blue text expands to give a more detailed explanation
  • These subject pages are supposed to foster collaboration with colleagues and students
  • The are also supposed to give clear expectation to students of how they’ll be evaluated and what they’re supposed to know
• Core Competencies tab (https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/competencies):
  • These are three very important skill sets that we incorporate into all curriculum on a daily basis:
    • Communication
    • Thinking
      • Creative Thinking
      • Critical Thinking
    • Personal and Social
      • Positive Personal and Cultural Identity
      • Personal Awareness and Responsibility
      • Social Responsibility
  • Each core competency page has a link to a PDF file with the “profile” of that competency described. (E.g. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/CommunicationCompetencyProfiles.pdf)
    • In the profile, the competency is broken down into several sub-categories with examples and “I Statements” (e.g. “I recognize that there are different points-of-view and I can disagree respectfully.” or “I can understand and share information about a topic that is important to me.”)
    • The end of the profile document has a rubric, with numbered levels, and each level describes that level of competency with I statements. This is to help define a student’s progress in that competency.
  • The idea of these core competencies is that they should be a part of every student’s learning every day and teachers should look for “teachable moments” for all core competencies. E.g. Victoria described a scenario in class where one student offered an idea that would involve more work for everyone. Another student shouted “No! I hate that!” and the teacher was able to direct them to the ‘disagreeing respectfully’ skill.

CSL: Communicating Student Learning:

(http://go.vsb.bc.ca/schools/ltm/csl_resources/Pages/default.aspx)

• Keeps the learner at the center
• Based on strengths
• Considers areas for growth and proposes a plan of action (called “ways to support learning” on the report card). All of these are structured as anecdotal comments from the teacher
• 2 formal written reports and a minimum of 3 ongoing communications, such as goal-setting meetings or student-led conferences or email/phone from teachers, or a digital or paper-based portfolio, or parent-teacher meetings
• No letter grades at the intermediate level. Instead the teacher provides anecdotes and a 4-point sliding scale to rate the student’s development: Beginning, Developing, Applying, Extending (described on http://go.vsb.bc.ca/schools/ltm/csl_resources/Pages/Student-Competency-Scale.aspx)
• Self-Evaluation is a big part of CSL.
  • Victoria’s experience is that the students are very accurate in their own assessments.
  • Students are given the same rubric that the teacher uses and evaluate themselves against it (orally for primary grades)
  • The rubric is quite objective – it’s a specific list of success criteria to analyze their work

Other information:

• Inquiry-based learning is making things more led by the students’ interests
• Textbook companies are still catching up to new curriculum, but doing so rapidly. Hudson has Grade 7 English, and recently got new 4/5 English textbooks that match the curriculum. Teachers are carefully purchasing and reviewing new textbooks as they become available.
• Teachers Victoria Lorieu and Jen Johnson welcome questions about the new curriculum. Their email addresses are: vlorieau@vsb.bc.ca and jjjohnson@vsb.bc.ca

This Week’s Schedule

Friday, November 16: Photo re-takes

Photo Re-takes

Photo retakes will be done tomorrow (Friday, November 16). Let your child’s teacher know if you would like their photo redone.

Washroom Vandalism

Mr. Cannon told the PAC meeting yesterday that students have been vandalizing both washrooms, mainly by plugging toilets and sinks with dirt and sticks. This necessitates a call to the plumber and closes those facilities until they can be un-clogged.

Please talk to your children and ask them not to do this!

Activities

Ocean Explorers (Seasmart School) has added an extra week to make up for a late class last week, which means next week Nov 21 is the last class for Term 1. Mad Science has also added an extra week so their final class is Nov 27.

Proposals for new activities will be accepted for consideration in Term 2 until Nov 23. Proposals received after this date will gladly be considered for Term 3.

DPAC General Meeting

Thursday, November 22
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
VSB (1580 West Broadway)

As part of DPAC’s General Meeting on November 22nd, there will be a presentation for VSB parents and guardians on the Redesigned Curriculum. This follows up on last year’s “Educational Transformation: What does the new curriculum mean for your children?” presentation by Suzanne Hoffman, Superintendent, VSB and Jan Unwin, Superintendent of Graduation and Student Transitions, Ministry of Education (podcast here)

Presentation by Rob Schindel, Assistant Superintendent, VSB

More details will be provided as they are finalized.

All parents and guardians in the Vancouver school district are welcome to attend. Please contact chair@vancouverdpac.org at least 48 hours ahead of time if you require childcare for this meeting.

Advent Calendar Fundraiser

Help us feed Vancouver’s homeless this holiday season! Your purchase will provide TWO meals to those in need. Order Advent Calendars online or with this order form. Advent Calendars will be delivered to students in their classrooms on Friday Nov 30.

Order must be completed either online or by form by Nov 23.

More details at http://www.giveafreelunch.com/#holiday-fundraiser
Or email help@giveafreelunch.com

Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed

Hot lunch needs volunteers on Tuesdays from 9:00am – 12:30 or 1:00pm, especially for next term starting in January. Email Marina at musea79@hotmail.com if you can help!

Winter Fair

The annual Winter Fair will be on Friday, December 14th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm in the gym.

Come to enjoy the raffle, cake-walk, kids-only market, food, games, crafts, the Storybooth photo booth and award winning strolling magician Kelvin Ng.

Ticket orders: This week the Winter Fair ticket order forms will be going home in backpacks. Advance ticket sales help our team of parent volunteers gauge attendance and plan more efficiently for the event. It also means there’ll be shorter line-ups – so more fun – on the day. Please return the form, with payment, to the white PAC mailbox in the office no later than Friday, Nov 30th. Forms can also be picked-up outside the office or printed from this link.

For further information contact Stella at hudsonclassrep@outlook.com

Donate: Please watch for notices closer to the date about donating to the kids-only market, raffle and cake-walk.

Volunteer: If you would like to get involved organizing the Fair or helping out on the day please contact Carly at carlykrug24@gmail.com.

Winter Choir Concert

Mark the date! On Tuesday, December 18 in the evening, the Hudson Junior and Senior Choirs will present a selection of seasonal music with guest stars and festive snacks. All in the community are welcome. It will be held in the school gym with snacks provided, and CTV might even film from the event.